A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Veni Creator Spiritus

by William Smyth Rockstro

VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS. The Hymn appointed, in the Roman Breviary, to be used at Vespers on the Feast of Pentecost, when the first verse is sung kneeling:—

Veni creator Spiritus
Mentes tuorum visita,
Imple superna gratia
Quae tu creasti pectora.

It is also sung at Ordinations, and on all other occasions introducing a solemn invocation to the Holy Ghost. The Latin text is supposed to have been written about 800, and is often ascribed to Charlemagne. The English version, by Bishop Cosyn, in the Book of Common Prayer—'Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire'—is in Long Measure, answering, so far, to the eight syllables of the original hymn, and susceptible of adaptation to the melody (see 'Hymns Ancient and Modern,' no. 157). The second version—'Come, Holy Ghost, Eternal God'—being in Common Measure, is, of course, less manageable.^[1]

The Plain Chaunt Melody will be found in the Antiphonarium, the Vesperal, and the Directorium Chori. Among polyphonic settings, the finest is that by Palestrina, in the 'Hymni totius anni' (Rome, 1589). A beautiful movement from a 'Magnificat' by Palestrina, was adapted, many years ago, to the English version, and published by Messrs. Burns & Lambert; but is now out of print. Tallis has also written a little setting, in the form of a very simple Hymn Tune, adaptable to the English Common Measure version.

[ W. S. R. ]

1. The Hymn, 'Come, Thou Holy Spirit, come,' is not 'englyshed' from the 'Veni Creator,' but from the Sequence for Whit Sunday, 'Veni Sancte Spiritus,' to which, indeed, the Common Measure version bears quite as much resemblance as it does to the 'Veni Creator' itself.